Current surface cleaning devices conventionally employ suction means. One of the drawbacks of such suction means is that the fans used to generate suction are relatively inefficient, i.e. typically 10 to 12 percent efficient in use, with the result that such apparatus tends not to be easily portable. This is especially the case where the apparatus incorporates batteries for powering the motor. It is therefore not practical to incorporate batteries of sufficient power in a readily portable suction cleaner in order to provide the degree of suction required for effective cleaning.
It is conventional to provide a surface cleaning apparatus, such as for sweeping, in which an elongate brush arrangement, sometimes known as a brush bar, is supported for rotation in a housing which is adapted to be propelled at least in a forwards direction. The brush arrangement generally extends transversely of the housing and is adapted to contact a surface beneath it. The brush arrangement is arranged to be rotated by friction resulting from propelling the housing across a floor. The housing can be provided with wheels which contact the surface. One of the drawbacks of such a construction is that the friction drive is not very effective.
It is also conventional to provide one or more auxiliary brush arrangements extending outwardly from one or two front corners of the housing. The auxiliary brush arrangement is provided for rotation about an axis inclined to the vertical and is provided with radial bristles. An auxiliary brush arrangement of this kind is described in GB-A-1 547 286. The auxiliary brush arrangement is freely rotatable and relies for its rotation on contact with the floor or a skirting board of a room during propulsion of the apparatus across the floor. Such means of rotation is unreliable and results in particles of dust and/or dirt on the floor being flicked towards the elongate rotating brush assembly for collection by the apparatus. Furthermore, contact of the circular auxiliary brush arrangement with the floor or a skirting board results in bristles of the auxiliary brush arrangement which extend outwardly sideways from the housing undergoing angular rotation effectively in a backwards direction. This means that an auxiliary brush means extending outwardly from a front right hand corner of the housing, as viewed from above and behind the apparatus, would be rotated in a clockwise direction and would flick dust and or dirt around behind it in the direction of the elongate rotating brush arrangement. This is not very satisfactory.
In current vacuum cleaner attachments, it is conventional to employ a flexible cleaning strip intended for cleaning hard floor surfaces, for example tiles, marble or linoleum. The flexible strip is intended to increase air speed and mechanically gather particles to assist performance. On a forward stroke the flexible strip will push particles forward. When the vacuum cleaner attachment is pulled in a rearward direction, the gathered particles are left behind by the strip and are extracted by the suction. A disadvantage is that the flexible strip can gather particles on the rearward side, away from the suction, when the attachment is pulled in a rearward direction. However, the action of the suction itself causes the majority of the particles on the rearward side of the flexible strip to pass under the flexible strip and be removed.
Conventional flexible cleaning strips used to clean hard floor surfaces can wear out relatively quickly due to the constant contact with the hard floor surface when in use. Flexible strips used on devices, for example, for washing hard floor surfaces are known to wear out relatively quickly without the benefit of a lubricating cleaning solution which reduces friction between the flexible strip and the floor.